Bank adds theft-deterrent doors

Wednesday

Apr 20, 2011 at 10:10 AM

The employees of the Bank of Walterboro's Ridgeland branch don't want to experience again what happened last November.On a Friday afternoon, three men armed with at least one gun robbed the branch and put guns to the employees' heads. "It was the worst thing I've ever been through," bank manager Cynthia Mills said.The men stole about $10,000 and left the employees on edge ever since.In an effort to prevent a repeat incident, the branch recently installed a Novacomm Access Control Vestibule just inside the main doors.The bullet-resistant aluminum frame two-chamber structure is enclosed by bullet-resistant glass and a bullet-resistive ceiling.It is designed to automatically detect weapons and deny entrance to those carrying weapons.The vestibule meets ANSI 117.1 Americans with Disabilities Act code.If the metal detector is triggered, an alarm sounds inside the bank and the person will see a red light on the vestibule's door and will not be able to open the door, which leads into the bank.Mills will then come to the door and ask the person to place their metals on a tray inside the vestibule and have them walk out of and back into the vestibule. If no other metals are detected and she sees there are no weapons, Mills will allow the person into the bank."If somebody is looking to rob a bank, they'll take a look and say, 'Uh, no,' " said Tom Falk, region manager of Security Technology Services, which installed the vestibule. "You are just going to move on. I think the staff and customers can feel a lot safer."Normal-sized keys and coins do not normally trigger the detector. The bank was robbed in December of 2008, but Mills and loan officer Marianne Hawkins said the recent robbery was scary.Mills was in her office and Hawkins was at the drive-through window. Mills was forced from her office and thrown into another room. Hawkins and others were told to get on the floor."It's nothing I ever want to have to experience again," Hawkins said.Mills said the men were vulgar and berating and the experience was the "longest two minutes of our lives."The Ridgeland Police Department had been at the bank daily since the incident, but the vestibule is now the main deterrent.Customers can enter the vestibule only one at a time. Designed to prevent an ambush, the vestibule door will lock if more than one person is inside. If the detector is triggered the door leading into the bank locks, but a person could turn around and walk back outside.When customers leave the bank (through the opposite chamber), the first exit door must close before the second door opens.Mills said she doesn't think the bank has lost customers since the robbery and she expects it will take time for customers to get used to walking through the vestibule. They can always use the drive-through if they are uncomfortable, Mills said.Mills said the vestibule has given her staff and customers peace of mind. She said she's slept better recently and the staff is no longer closely eyeing unfamiliar customers who wear hooded-sweatshirts or dark glasses."With the doors we feel so much more comfortable," Mills said.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.